The intent of this study was to explore the perceptions of administrators, teachers, students, and the families of students in one urban high school regarding the importance family, school, and community engagements and explore the steps they take, or not, to develop and sustain such engagements. Decades of research have underscored clear, consistent, and compelling evidence to support the positive link between student
achievement and family involvement (Epstein, 2001; Henderson & Mapp, 2002; Hill & Chao, 2009; Weiss et al., 2010).
Despite the resounding research that emphasizes the value of family, school, and community engagement to student achievement, according to Christenson and Reschly (2010), most studies have focused on either the perceptions of principals, teachers, or parents but have neglected to look at the totality of the perceptions; even though, according to Epstein (1995), when parents, teachers, students, and others view one another as partners in education, a caring community forms around students for the betterment of the students. Subsequently, there is a paucity of research on the perception of students regarding the importance of family, school, and community engagement. Therefore, on the whole, there is little research to indicate how the collective referenced parties’ perceptions influence the quality of the practices or the models implemented.
This study therefore sought to explore the perceptions of administrators, teachers, families, and students in one urban high school regarding their perceptions on the importance of family, school, and community engagements and explore the steps they take, or not, to develop and sustain such engagements.
Research Design
This study utilized an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. This design involved collecting quantitative data first and then explaining the quantitative results with in-depth qualitative data (Creswell, 2014). In the first quantitative phase of the study, data were collected through surveys. These data were gathered from the administrators, teachers, families, and students at one urban high school. The data collected were used to determine their perceptions regarding the importance of family and community
engagement, their perceptions regarding their roles in developing and sustaining family and community engagement, and their perceptions of each other’s roles in the
development of robust family and community engagement. The second phase
necessitated the collection of qualitative data to help explain the quantitative results. In an exploratory follow-up, an exploration of the practices that administrators, teachers, families, and students employ to promote family and community engagement in the school was done. Data for the second phase of the study were collected through open- ended surveys as well as documented sources.
A number of researchers in different social as well as behavioral sciences have promoted the use of mixed-method research (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007;
Onwuegbuzie & Daniel, 2006). A mixed-method design combines quantitative as well as qualitative approaches within a study to better understand the research problem
(Creswell, 2014). It is therefore a stronger method as it minimizes the limitations of qualitative and quantitative studies. Mixed method is useful as it has the propensity to provide a more comprehensive view of the phenomena under investigation (Creswell, 2014). According to the author, a mixed method is useful when neither qualitative nor quantitative research is sufficiently able to inform an understanding of “what” is studied.
To this end, the researcher utilized a mixed-methods research.
In the initial phase, the researcher collected quantitative as well as qualitative data using a cross-sectional survey. A cross-sectional survey is one that collects information from specific individuals within a single time span (Gay et al., 2006). According to Creswell (2014), surveys are useful as they can provide a quantitative or numeric description of opinions of a population by studying the sample of the population. Data collected via open-ended questions from surveys and document analysis were used to explore the findings from the quantitative data which mitigated the limitations of the study. By employing a mixed-methods approach, the researcher was afforded more avenues through which to explore the “phenomenon” under investigation.
Research Questions and Hypothesis
The quantitative phase of this study answered the following questions. 1. To what extent is there a statistically significant difference in how
administrators, teachers, parents, and students regard the importance of family, school, and community engagement?
2. To what extent is there a statistically significant difference in the manner in which administrators, teachers, families, and students view each other’s roles in developing and fostering family, school, and community engagement? 3. To what extent are there statistically significant differences regarding the
practices utilized by administrators, teachers, families, and students to foster family, school, and community engagement based on their perceptions? Null Hypothesis for Each Research Question
1. There is no statistically significant difference in how administrators, teachers, parents, and students regard the importance of family, school, and community
engagement.
2. There is no statistically significant difference among the perceptions of administrators, teachers, families, and students regarding each other’s roles in developing and implementing family and community engagement.
3. There are no statistically significant differences between the perceptions and the practices utilized by administrators, teachers, families, and students to foster family, school, and community engagement.
The qualitative phase of the study utilized open-ended surveys as well as documented sources to further explore the perceptions as well as the practices administrators, teachers, families, and students utilize to foster family, school, and community engagement. These additional sources of data were used to help explain the quantitative findings.
Protecting Participants
All possible measures to protect the participants were implemented. The researcher requested and received permission from the principal within the school site where the research took place (Appendix A). The researcher obtained permission from the Gardner-Webb Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to commencing the study. The researcher observed the standards established by the Protections Office for Human
Research of the United States as well as the ethical standards and mandates outlined by the IRB. Subsequently, no identifying information relating to the research site or the participants was collected.
Consent forms were provided to parents to permit student participation in the study. Similarly, the researcher obtained permission from all adults recruited to participate in the study. In addition to family consent forms which allowed students to
participate in the study, each student was given a student assent form which necessitated their signature prior to participating in the study. All participants were assured
confidentiality–in that no identifying information was gathered from participants. It was also made clear to all participants that participation was voluntary and there were no consequences for nonparticipation. Additionally, prior to participating in the study, all participants were enlightened regarding the purpose of the study.
Responses to the surveys as well as all evidences associated with the study were kept in a secure location. Once collected, during and after analysis of the data, all data will be kept in a secure location for a period not to exceed 3 years. According to Sieber (1998), 5-10 years is a reasonable time frame within which to keep data; however, Gardner-Webb University cited 3 years to be sufficient.
Population and Sample
Four different groups participated in this study. The sample for this study was collected from within one urban high school in North Carolina as well as from families who have students at the school site during October and November in the 2016-2017 school year. Five factors influenced the decision to conduct the research within the selected school site. Prior to the end of the NCLB era, the school did not make Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) for 2011-2014. AYP was the yardstick used to measure student performance under NCLB. The lack of academic proficiency was also noted in the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS). According to EVAAS, the school did not show growth in the core subject areas such as biology, math, and English between 2013 and 2016. Of all high schools in the region, it showed the least growth during 2015-2016. The North Carolina State Board of Education uses EVAAS as the statewide model for measuring student growth when common assessments are
administered. Second, the school had the highest suspension rate of all schools within the county. Third, the school had the lowest graduation rate countywide for 2012-2016. Next, the school had the highest drop-out rates over the last 3 years. Finally, the school boasted one of the lowest daily attendance average for the past 2 years. Based on existing research, family and community engagement may hold multiple benefits for the school. Therefore, all students in the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades were invited to participate in the study. Similarly, all administrators, teachers, and families with students in the school were invited to participate in the study. The decision to invite the entire population to participate allowed for a more purposive heterogeneous sample.
Administrator sample. Sixty percent participated in the study. During the 2016- 2017 school year, there were five administrators–one principal, three assistant principals, and one principal intern. All participants were Caucasians which is a reflection of the racial makeup of the total administrative team at the school. Their tenure in the site range from 2 months to 5 years.
Teacher sample. Thirty of approximately 80 teachers on staff for the 2016-2017 school year participated in the study. Participants were a reflection of the staff
population. Of the 37.5% who responded, 76.7% were females and 23.3 were males. Of this group, 46.7% were teaching for 3 years or less, 20% for 4-10 years, and the
remaining 33.3% over 11 years within the same school. Thirty-eight point five percent of the respondents taught elective classes; 26.9% taught a combination of electives, honors, and core courses only; 26.9% taught core subjects only; and 7.7% taught only AP, honors, and IB classes. The majority of teachers, 66.7%, are Caucasian. The remaining 18.5% and 14.8% belong to other races, and African-Americans respectively.
those who participated had two children at the school, while 2.5% had three or more. The remaining percent had one child attending the school. Responses to the
demographics section indicated respondents were from various backgrounds. For example, 13.2% of those who responded were not employed. Twenty-three point seven percent were employed part time while the remaining percentages were employed full time. There were also marked differences in educational status of respondents. Thirty point eight percent of the respondents graduated high school but did not attend college. Two point six percent did not graduate high school. The remaining percentage possessed at least a first degree.
A series of negative and positive responses to the open-ended questions indicated possible bias in the sample favored participation by families who had stronger views regarding the issues within the survey based on responses to the open-ended questions on the survey. Experiences and attitudes towards family and community engagement was a crucial element that impacted responses. For example, some families indicated, “They never contact teacher.” Others stated, “They only contacted teachers because of low grades,” yet some felt “it was the students’ responsibility to monitor their school life.”
The responses also revealed marked differences in socioeconomic status. Overall, the respondents were from middle to higher income families with 59% making $50,000 or more annually. Seventeen point nine percent made below $30,000 with the remaining percent earning between $31,000 and $49,000. On a whole, those earning about $50,000 or more annually are a close reflection of the median household income which the United States Census Bureau (2015) pinpoints to be $53,587.00. Therefore, the socioeconomic status of respondents seemed to be fairly spread out. Eighty-seven point two of those who participated were females, the remaining 12.8% were males. Most of the
respondents (65%) belonged to a nuclear family structure. Twenty percent were single mothers; 7.5% were single fathers; and the remaining 7.5% belonged to extended families. Similar racial makeups were evident in the city where the school was situated which indicated 4.6% of homes were headed by single fathers, 13.5% by single mothers, and 52.8% by both parents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015).
Of those who responded to the survey, 72.5% were Caucasian/White; 10% were Hispanic; 15% were Asian, and the remaining percentage were African-Americans. In most cases, the percentage closely corresponded with the city’s data where 70.1% of the
population are identified as Caucasians, 12.3% are Hispanics, 2.6% are Asians, and 17.8% are African-Americans (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). Based on these percentages, it seems likely the percentage of respondents was a representative sample of the families with students within the school except in the case of African-Americans. While there were numerous similarities between the sample and the population, the minor differences combined with the low response rate made it necessary to conduct a nonresponse check for bias. The results indicated no significant differences between those who responded and those who did not.
Student sample. Forty-three students participated in the study. This number represents 3.58% of the 1,201 students enrolled at the school during the 2016-2017 school year as obtained through the PowerSchool Portal at the end of October.
PowerSchool is the school’s electronic student management system used to store student information. While the response rate was low, there were some similarities between the respondents and the population. In some cases, responses were higher in specific groups; the converse also held true. According to PowerSchool, 51.6% females and 48.4% males were enrolled at the school where the study took place in comparison to 70.7% and
29.3% respectively who participated. Twenty-four point four percent, 26.8%, 34.1%, and 14.6% of the participants were freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors respectively. These percentages slightly corresponded to the school’s population of 29%, 28%, 23%, and 21%.
The participating student body has traditionally been racially/ethnically diverse. For the past year, reports from the PowerSchool portal indicated approximately 45% Caucasian, 26.6% Black, 21% Hispanic, 1.88% Asian, and the remaining percentages were multi-racial or Indian (American). The racial makeup of the participants were 4.1%, 14.6%, 31.7%, 36.6%, and 12.2% respectively. The differences and similarities necessitated the pooling of 15 randomly selected students to determine whether the responses from nonrespondentswould have been similar to those who responded. Subsequently, a nonrespondent check for bias was conducted. No significant differences were found.
Researcher’s Role and Access to Site
The researcher is a 12-year tenured teacher at the site where the research was conducted. The researcher has therefore interacted with one or more educators within the school site on a daily basis. As a teacher, the researcher worked with some students and their families at the school site. These interactions have influenced the researcher’s views over the years regarding how each stakeholder views the importance of family, school, and community engagement. Additionally, the interactions have also influenced the researcher’s views regarding the steps taken by each stakeholder to realize robust
family, school, and community engagement within the school site. However, the researcher’s role as a teacher at the site did not impact the findings. The researcher was considered as an “instrument” through which data were mediated (Denzin & Lincoln,
2005); data were gathered primarily through close-ended surveys. Where survey
questions are open-ended, specific themes associated with Epstein’s (1995) six typologies were used to code responses to facilitate the analysis. The documents were interpreted based on similar coding. The six themes–parenting, communication, volunteering, parenting in the home, decision making, and collaborating with communities–were used to code data from the documents. The room for interjecting bias in interpretation was therefore significantly lessened. However, acknowledgement of the researcher’s bias also had the potential to enhance the trustworthiness of the study (Creswell, 2014).
An email seeking permission to conduct the study was sent to the principal of the research site. The email briefly described the purpose of the research. Permission to conduct the research was sought and granted (Appendix A). A week prior to
commencing data collection, the researcher reiterated the procedures to be followed to conduct the study with the principal.
Instruments
The researcher used surveys as well as documents to gather data for this study. Data from all tools were useful to enhance the trustworthiness of the findings. Based on the nature of the survey, the researcher relied on the content within family and
community engagement literature, the rubric for family and community engagement used by the county to guide family and community engagement, and existing surveys to design the survey for this study. This was necessary as none of the existing surveys on the topic could have satisfactorily answered the research questions identified within this study. Whereas this study relied on Epstein’s framework, it recognized the framework focused extensively on “what” schools should do to promote family and community engagement.
group should be charged with expending efforts while the other participants sit by. Such a one-sided approach defies the very purpose of a partnership; instead, participants should work together to take ownership of the process. This pro democratic approach made it was necessary to construct questions to determine the role of the different
participants on specific variables. For example, while schools are typically charged with establishing communication, questions such as “parents should contact teachers when they need information” were included. This helped balance the responsibilities of the parties in the process to make it a more authentic partnership. The survey was comprised of Likert-based items as well as opened-ended items. Mirror surveys were created for administrators, teachers, families, and students. While individuals may respond to Likert items based on what they perceive as the socially acceptable response (Gay et al., 2006), responses to the surveys were anonymous. According to Gay et al. (2006), this strategy may help to ensure the probability of obtaining more valid test results.
According to Creswell (2014), surveys are one of the most common types of quantitative research–primarily because they are inexpensive to conduct. The close- ended questions on a survey have the advantage of gaining feedback to standardized questions. It is therefore easier to code responses. It is easier to replicate, and many topics may be explored in single questions. Open-ended questions can provide deeper insight into the reason for responses (Gay et al., 2006).
Surveys were created, reviewed, and then piloted in a similar population. The questions for each set of surveys contained demographic questions, questions to measure the roles and responsibilities of participant engagement in family and community
activities, and questions to assess the practices undertaken by each participant to develop and promote family, school, and community engagement. The questions were influenced
by Epstein’s (1995) Theory of Overlapping Spheres as well as Bandura’s (1977) theory
primarily because they are the theoretical frameworks used to guide this study.
There were eight parts in each survey (Parts A-H). Eight questions in Part A of